Right off the bat, if you're not computer adroit, get some help. You're gona need it to get set up. Fortunately for me, I have a 17 yr old that got me up and running. Had it not been for him, I'd have given up in disgust. If you know all about modifying ini files, you're gonna do alright.
The ingame setup menu is basic to say the least. A tab for you to log on, and to calibrate your game controllers. (Hint: just cause you get them calibrated, don't mean they will respond in game. You will have to do this later in a target ware file out of game.) While you're in the calibration screen, make note of the numbers that are highlighted when pressing any of the buttons on your controllers.
Once you've made these notes, exit setup, exit the game. Right click Target ware icon, properties, then find target. Look for the TW_config folder and open it up. Click on the keymapper tab. Remember those notes you made about which number was assigned to which button on your controllers? This is where you assign those buttons the functions you desire.
Once you've accomplished that, click on the input devices tab. Here is where you assign control inputs to your controller devices.
None of your joystick, throttle, or rudder pedals will work in game until you have performed this step. Now your ready to go online and check the game out.
I joined a beta server, signed up to fly allied, selected a mission, and bam! I'm in a SBD (air start) headed for a Jap island stronghold.
No auto pilot, so I carefully take a look at the dashboard to figure out which guages are where. Some guages can't be seen looking straight ahead, so ya gotta look down a little. Track ir is supported so you can use the mouse for that, or if you did the config right, use a combo of views to look at those guages.
Ok, got the dials and switches doped out, time to check the map and see where I'm going. F4 superimposes this over the screen. There's my route, waypoints, and target, and a bright red arrow indicating my position. Btw the direction of the arrow in no way indicates the direction you're traveling. It just points to the spot on the map you occupy. You gotta figure the heading, and look at your compass.
Now, how does this puppy handle? Whoops! Woof-da, stalls come on quick, with a harsh rattling sound, and a mushyness to the controls. Do not try yanking and banking in here folks. Also very easy to over shoot control imputs. Rolling for example, ya gotta put in a little opposite to stop where ya want. Rudder inputs create instant radical slewing which will rock the plane back and forth if the rudder is just centered without reverse input to stop.
Target coming up, I see some little gray squares floating around (planes), and some dark squares on the ground (targets). No range indicators on cons, just a red icon as to plane type for enemies, and a name for friendlies. Don't know the range these icons turn on at. No info at all on what the ground targets consist of, but a couple of them started shooting at me as I got lower in my dive. Thought I'd drop an egg on them so I weav'd toward one, and when I thought the alt was right, I lined the bugger up in the gunsight and pickeled off a bomb. Gently but firmly pulling back on the stick caused the screen to fade to black (no initial tunnel vision here). Got a server message that AKWeav had destroyed an AI gun.
Look behind me, oops got a couple of A6Ms on my butt, hey! they got huge floats hanging under them. One is shooting! My plane shakes with hits, no clue to any damage, but shes still handling ok. Roll over on my back and head for the deck, to odd looking zekes following. pull out and go into a left climbing turn then angle back to the deck, and hang the tightest righthand level turn I dare. I'm rewarded by one of the zekes impacting the water and exploding trying to follow my right turn. The other guy is a little smarter pulling a high yo yo, but over shoots on the pass giving me an oppertunity to plink him some. But he's got better acceleration than me, and comes around again from the left, and starts peppering me from behind. I try scissoring, but run out of E quickly and stall into the water.
Oops, wife hollering about the steaks on the BBQ. Be back with more later.
